Dark Black
by ZZ Eclipse
Summary: Bardock leads a coup against the tyrant Frieza and the Saiyan King Vegeta. Fearing for his son's life, King Vegeta ensures his survival by sending him to a distant planet called Earth. The young prince will have many adventures that will prepare him to face not only his most fiercest adversaries, but his own destiny as well. "What if Vegeta was sent to earth instead of Goku?"
1. Chapter 1

" _Everything happened so quickly. Our King was right. This was the end._

 _Frieza had been destroyed, slain by the hand of a Saiyan; a_ low-class _Saiyan, as fate would have it. Many were sure that the death of the evil Emperor would create a power struggle among Frieza's elite forces._

 _How wrong we were._

 _Wrong and foolish, for Bardock's newfound prowess flocked Frieza's army, including many Saiyans, to his side. With his new power, he sought revenge against those loyal to Frieza, whom had taken so many lives, including his wife's. With his new golden form of legend, Bardock turned his attention to the King that had sworn allegiance to the tyrant and with his new army, attacked Planet Vegeta without mercy, intent on destroying our elite class and our King._

 _Vegeta, on that fateful last day, the only thing that mattered to me anymore, was keeping you safe. You are our last hope."_

* * *

 **PLANET VEGETA**  
 **ROYAL SAIYAN PALACE  
**

* * *

The palace wall shook in protest as the large figure crashed against it. Doubling over on his knees, King Vegeta coughed blood and glared up at his foe. Glowing like the sun, Bardock smirked as he motioned with his hand to the right. Bright blue energy materialized in his palm and he hurled it at the last elite saiyan standing. The elite, a balding old man, screamed as the blue energy twisted him in an unnatural way. The blast settled, reducing him to charred remains, adding to the pile of dead elite saiyan bodies that littered the floor.

"I'm only going to ask again once," Bardock growled menacingly. "Where is he?"

With what little strength he had left, King Vegeta pushed himself to his knees. His wife, Queen Cilan was pinned to the floor under Bardock's boot. He knew they were no match against the Super Saiyan of legend, but of all the things he had lost, he still had his pride.

At least he knew that his son was safe. When Bardock had launched his attack, he hadn't only killed the adult elites. He had his men attack the birth pods as well. Knowing what would happen to his newborn son if Bardock found him, Vegeta had left the baby boy to his most trusted general, who promised to take the newborn prince far from Planet Vegeta until the boy had grown.

"His name is Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans," the King coughed again. "And one day, he will destroy you, low-class scum."

Bardock scoffed. Dropping to his haunches, he grabbed a fistful of the King's hair and forced him to look him in the eyes. King Vegeta's face was beaten and bloody, and one of his eyes was so swollen that he could not open it. Vegeta stared into those glowing blue super saiyan eyes.

"You paraded yourself as the strongest Saiyan in the galaxy, yet you sold us to the devil."

Bardock slammed the King's head against the bloody floor. Vegeta grunted in pain as Bardock placed his boot on his neck.

"You made us slave away for that worthless animal Frieza. You kept us under his iron fist and when some of us tried to resist, he killed them and you laughed." He ground Vegeta's head against the floor.

"I did what he said," Vegeta coughed. "because Frieza said he would kill my wife and son."

"What about my wife?" Bardock lifted the King up by the hair. "That monster killed Gine! He took her from me. He slaughtered my team in cold blood. And now you're going to know what it feels to lose everything." Bardock drove his fist against Vegeta's stomach and let him drop again. Turning to face Cilan, he raised a hand and a blue orb formed in his palm, growing large and glowing brightly as he aimed it at the saiyan queen.

"No," Vegeta begged, grabbing at Bardock's pants. "Have mercy!"  
"It's time for you to pay for your sins, Vegeta." Bardock yelled over the deafening energy. "When I'm finished with Cilan, I'm going after your son and all those who are still loyal to Frieza and you. And I'm going to kill them, too."

"Vegeta!" The Queen cried.

"CILAN!"

"This is a little something I like to call 'rebellion spear'," Bardock laughed. "A parting gift for you, my queen. Here! Have it!"

The large ki blast flew from his palm and struck Cilan, sending her flying. The royal medallion around her neck fell to the floor and rolled to Bardock's feet.

"Cilan!" Vegeta struggled to crawl over to his wife's side as Bardock examined the medallion in his large hand.

"Vegeta," Cilan coughed weakly as Vegeta cradled her in his arms. Once the second strongest saiyan in the world, the queen was now reduced to a crumbled, dying girl. "Vegeta. Promise me that our son is safe."

"He is," Vegeta said, trembling.

"Good," Cilan began to fade away. "Good. He will avenge us all. I've always been by your side, my King. Take this, my last gift to you. Make him pay for what he did to us."

With the last of her energy she created a white glowing orb the size of a fist and handed it to Vegeta.

Vegeta stared at it, feeling Cilan's energy within it.

"I will," Vegeta said, but she was already gone. "My queen."

Vegeta felt new power surge through him as the orb grew in his palm.

"Damn you, Bardock. I will kill you..."

Bardock looked up from the medallion, amused at the sudden rise in Vegeta's power.

"I will kill you!"

The white orb continued to grow in Vegeta's hand. He blasted a hole in the ceiling and released it, staring straight into the blinding light.

"Watch out!" One of his new soldiers, a young girl with waist long hair, yelled moving to strike Vegeta, but Bardock raised his hand to stop her.

"No. This will be very interesting!"

Vegeta lifted his head, his grunts intensifying and becoming monstrous. His eyes glowed red with fury as his face mutated. Hair grew all over his body and his body began to grow.

"Now this is more like it, Vegeta!" He yelled at the transforming king, crushing the medallion in his hands. "I've always wanted to fight an Oozaru!"

Vegeta responded with a mighty roar that shook the ground.

The young saiyan girl at Bardock's side glanced nervously at him nervously. He only smirked.

Lightning and a golden aura enveloped Bardock who stared intently at the Power Ball in the sky that was now the size of an adult sized space pod. Golden hair began to sprout all over his body and Bardock felt his power increasing again. With a monstrous laugh he launched into the air, leaving the young girl behind.

The two Oozaru met in the middle of the ruined palace as the Saiyan civil war raged on throughout the bloody red skies, with Saiyan loyalists clashing against Bardock's newly anointed Black Army.

On the other side of the city, two saiyan pods launched into the skies. A newborn baby wearing the medallion of Saiyan royalty slept as the pod blasted away from the other. From the second pod, the saiyan general Nappa watched intently until the first pod disappeared through the thick red clouds and out of sight. He had made sure to engrave Vegeta's name on the medallion he placed in the pod, so that Vegeta would know that he was the rightful Prince of Saiyans.

For now, he would obey the King's last command.

He would bide his time and when the newborn Prince was old enough, he would come for him. The coordinates he had set on the pod belonged to a distant planet that sat alone in an otherwise uninhabitable solar system.

Yes, the elite saiyan blood coursing through the boy's veins would make him a god among men. When the time came, they would avenge Vegeta's elites.

When he was sure both pods had cleared Saiyan space and were out of harm's way, Nappa closed his eyes, resting from his wounds. As he drifted to sleep, he heard through his scouter what he once thought impossible. Planet Vegeta had fallen.

It took the pod a little over one year to reach Planet Earth, passing over sandy deserts, bustling cities, and glistening oceans to land atop one of the highest mountains. There, he was found by a humble man named Son Gohan, who lived in the mountains as a hermit. The old man felt compassion for the boy and took him in as his own, naming him Vegeta, after finding the name engraved on the strange medallion.

Vegeta continued to grow in strength and prowess, training under Son Gohan, until he was fifteen years old. That was the fateful day when he met a girl who was on a quest for the myserious Dragon Balls.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for taking the time to read my very first Dragon Ball fanfic. I know the first chapter feels a little rushed, but I'll try my best to flesh them out a little more next time. This is my first fanfic in a loooong time and I have to find the time to finish my other works, but I really felt inspired to write this story. Yes it's another **_What if Vegeta_ _was sent to earth instead of Goku_** fanfics. But I feel like I have enough content and surprises to keep it interesting for a good long story. Anyway, I hope you like it. This idea sprouted out of the idea of Bardock going Super Saiyan on planet Meat when he finds his team slaughtered as well as Dragon Ball Sai. I know I made Bardock super evil, perhaps to the point of breaking character, but I just felt like Bardock at that point had a take no prisoners outlook on life. Writing King Vegeta with only a few seconds of screen time to use as reference was really hard, but that's okay. We won't be seeing him again.

The next several chapters (around 15-20 or so) will focus on Vegeta, and I'm planning on taking him through various familiar locations from DB, DBZ and DBS, with an eventual shift to Trunks when he comes along, but we'll see how it goes. I will do my best to respond to reviews, both positive and negative, within the following chapters. Please stick around and let me know what you think! Thank you!

Credits: image is Son Vegeta by BK-81 on DeviatARt


	2. Chapter 2

Pillars of black smoke washed over the evening sky, dimming the little light remaining in the blood red skies of Planet Vegeta. The twisted scent of ash and fire overpowered the decaying smell of the fallen Saiyan elites that had been loyal to King Vegeta to the very end.

Bardock spat against the bitter, pungent taste in the air, watching the flames devour the banner of the elites and their bodies. _Fools, all of them. They conformed in their social status, followed a false king, bowed at the feet of some filthy alien. Their end had been a long time coming._ Bardock savored the victory as the men and women of his Black Army ate and drank in celebration.

Bardock was no sentimentalist, but as he scanned the battered faces of old and young, men and women, saiyan and alien alike that now served him, he could not help but swell with pride. Under his rule, things would change. They would rebuild and become stronger than ever. The stars were the limit. What a time to be alive! He kept scanning the camp until his eyes came to rest on a tall muscular teen that was staring up at the skies, as if searching for something. Large muscles bulged from his tall frame, tanned and covered in scars from the wars he had fought in across the galaxy. His thick, unkempt raven hair that reached down to his waist swayed slightly in the breeze. Bardock beamed a proud smile at the boy.

His firstborn.

Raditz.

At his young age, he had already exterminated entire races and conquered worlds across an ocean of stars, leading his own five-member band of warriors, who called themselves the Saiyan Punks. Without a doubt, the Punks were a deadly weapon against Bardock's enemies. The death of the boy's mother had left him with an insatiable desire for strength, power and bloodshed. Bardock knew all too well that rage and lust for vengeance acted as fuel for a bright, future leader. With training and sacrifice, maybe he could be the next King after him.

The same could not be said about the boy's baby brother, Kakarot. The boy was just a toddler, and still his power level was no more than that of a weak Saibaman. All the boy did was cry, eat and sleep. But Bardock had a plan to remedy that. As if on cue, one of his scouts, an Apulle alien ran up to him and bowed reverently before the newly crowned Black King of Saiyans.

"My Lord Bardock," it hissed in its alien accent. "The scouts from the eastern-most legion have reported in. We found her."

Bardock chuckled in delight at the news. Yes, he would remedy the so-called "low-class saiyan" problem, all right. No saiyan boy or girl would ever be weak enough to be conquered again. He would personally see to it. Starting with his weakling son, Kakarot.

"Who else knows about this?"  
"Nobody, sire."

"Keep it under wraps," Bardock instructed. "I will organize aastrike team to bring her back home. For now, go to the Youth pods. Find my son Kakarot and bring him to me. Discreetly."

"The world is at the heart of Frieza's old capital," the Appule stammered.

"Don't worry," Bardock said, eyeing at his son. "I've got just the crew that specializes in fighting Frieza's men."

With no time to waste, he thanked the scout and made his way through the camp towards his son.

From across the camp, Raditz could see his father walking towards him. Taking a huge drink from his glass, he turned away from him, his body aching with the wounds he had sustained throughout the day.

Saiyan ale.

Few things in the galaxy like it.

As he allowed himself to enjoy the alcoholic drink for a moment, a smaller figure approached from the other side of the camp, catching his attention.

She was the only Saiyan girl that could have that effect on him.

That fact burned.

Raditz prided himself on being one of the toughest boys his age. Though it was nothing new for a saiyan to have the occasional casual encounter with a woman, this was different. His feelings for this girl were different, forged from years of growing together, training together, fighting together, conquering together.

Raditz shook the embarrassing thought from his mind. What would the rest of the Punks say if they found out that their brutal, fearless leader was catching feelings for the youngest of their team? Cursing the fact that he had too much of his mother in him, he instead gulped down another glass of the ale as the smaller saiyan walked past him.

Her tiny frame was covered in dirt and bruises, too. Her hair was wild and unkempt too, though it did not extend downwards like Raditz's, but rather extended upwards into spikes.

She carried pieces of saiyan armor wrapped in royal garments in her arms as she stared into the flames that she walked towards. Without a single word, she tossed the armor and robes into the fire, watching the flames consume them. Raditz walked over to stand by her side, his large arms crossed across his chest. Having lost his mother, he knew what she was feeling all too well.

"My father," she said after a long moment. "He won't be needing them anymore."

"I'm really-," Raditz caught himself when her fiery gaze turned towards him.

"Don't be," she cut him off. "He deserved it. After what he did to me and my sister..."

Her gaze returned to the ashes that were once her father's robes, fists clenching. "In the end, I'm glad I was the one to end him."

Raditz could hear the waver in her voice, betraying the conflict within her. Her father had been a true monster, even for a heartless saiyan, sending her to a desolate world in an uncharted part of the galaxy while sending her sister into the heart of a war torn world that Frieza was set on conquering. She was never heard of again. All this happened before they could even walk!

Still, Raditz knew that it hadn't been easy for her to kill her father.

He lifted a hand, paused for a long moment, then placed it on her shoulder.

She did not try to shrug it off. Without a word, the two continued watching the fire burning brightly for some time.

Footsteps and a raucous roar from the men around them broke their moment. They turned to see Bardock walking up to them, a large bone of meat on his hand and a glass on the other.

"Raditz, get your team ready," he said in between mouthfuls of meat. "Things are about to get a lot more interesting."

Bardock turned to the girl.

"Your sister Kale." he said, smirking. "The one we thought was dead in Frieza's world. We found her. And now we're going to go get her!"

All Caulifla could do was stare in disbelief.

* * *

 **EARTH - 15 YEARS LATER**

* * *

One breath. One very deep breath.

Vegeta could hear his heartbeat in his ears. He fought to keep himself balanced, but he couldn't help himself. His blood always sizzled during a fight. Moving faster than the naked eye could see, he bounded mightily at his masked opponent, aiming his fist hard at the stupid mask he was wearing.

In a similarly spectacular move, the assailant swung an open hand through the air, deflecting the incoming fist and momentarily stumbling Vegeta off balance. Vegeta braced for a punishing blow that didn't come. Catching himself, he spun around with a powerful kick aimed at the masked man's torso. Again, the move was anticipated and the grass around them rippled against the explosive force caused by the blow. Vegeta intensified his attack, but his short arms were no use against the bigger foe. He would need a new strategy.

Vegeta snarled and lunged himself, throwing wild punches aimed at his opponent's face, chest and torso. His opponent, who had been using one arm in the fight, now used both and seemed to parry and deflect the blows with ease.

"Stop messing around and get serious!" Vegeta snapped.

"Oh ho ho! Is that what you want?" Suddenly, the man adjusted his stance and Vegeta found himself defending against a punishing flurry of blows. For every hit he blocked, the masked man landed two until Vegeta's back hit against the wall. In a final, desperate move, the air around Vegeta exploded, sending the masked man three steps back.

"You've reached the limits of my patience, old man!" Vegeta snarled, clenching his hands together. A bright ball of energy formed his palms. "Take this! Galick-"

"I cannot allow that!" The masked man said.

Before he could unleash the attack, the man appeared directly in front of him and touched the center of his torso with two fingers.

Vegeta gasped in pain, unable to breath. The energy in his hands fizzled out and he collapsed against the wall behind him. Slowly he regained his breathing and he backed away from the man, who removed his mask.

"What the hell was that?" Vegeta barked. "That really hurt!"

"Oh, that?" The old man said. "That was just an old trick taught to me by an old friend."

The old man extended a hand out to the boy, who took it and got to his feet.

"Now, Vegeta," he said, dusting the boy off. "What did we say about Ki attacks in fights?"

Vegeta resisted the urge to scoff at his grandfather.

"Yeah, yeah. Never use ki attacks."

"Ki blasts have their purpose," the wise old man told him, picking up the bag they had brought and swinging it over his shoulder. "Attacking humans is not one of them. You can seriously injure or even kill someone."

Vegeta rolled his eyes.

Gohan smiled, squatting down to be at the boy's eye level.

"Vegeta," he said. "You are different from regular folks. You can lift cars over your head, get hit by bullets and live. Those are all very powerful strengths. But those powerful strengths carry heavy responsibilities. Use your strengths for good. Never for evil. That is both your burden and your honor."

"I know," Vegeta heaved a sigh, staring at the grass around his bare feet.

The old man turned and walked towards the edge of the cliff where they were training on.

"Come here, son," his grandfather said. Vegeta sighed, impatiently.

He walked to stand next to his grandfather with his hands on his hips.

Gohan smiled, his wrinkles creasing around his tired old eyes.

"Do you feel that?"

Vegeta stared blankly, feeling his irritation rising.

"Feel what?"

"Close your eyes."

"Grandpa-"

"Close them," Gohan commanded, sternly.

Vegeta rolled his eyes stubbornly and closed his eyes.

"Now what?"

"Breathe," Gohan said. "Breathe. What do you feel?"

Vegeta slowed down his breathing until he could no longer hear his heartbeat in his ears. He continued breathing, feeling a sense of calm wash over him.

"Calm," he finally responded.

"Open your eyes, son. Tell me what you see."

Vegeta obeyed. From that high cliff, he could see their house and had a beautiful view of the ocean. Vegeta closed his eyes again, letting the breeze, the scent of the forest below and the sounds of the rolling sea bring him incredible…

"Peace," he said, opening his eyes.

Gohan beamed proudly at his grandson.

"Remember this peace always, Vegeta," he said. "Defend it, protect it with all your might, and I'll be with you, long after I'm gone."

The two stood there, watching the rolling tide for some time.

Remorse showered over Vegeta, remembering just how sick his grandfather really was. The doctors said he did not have much time left. Even so, Gohan had decided to spend his last days readying Vegeta for the day that he would have to be on his own.

"Look, Grandfather-"

Gohan chuckled and smiled sweetly at the boy.

"Vegeta, ever since the day I found you, I knew you were destined for great things. Now that my time is limited with your, we have a lot to talk about. How about we eat and we can discuss things over breakfast?"

Vegeta's stomach growled at the sound of that.

"Yeah," he smiled back. "That sounds great, grandpa."

Gohan extended a hand.

"Then, would you mind helping a tired, senile old man down this big damn mountain?"

Vegeta allowed himself a chuckle.

Placing the old man's arm over his shoulder, they lifted off from the top of the mountain and descended down towards the house below.

* * *

 **AN:**

Hi everyone! Thank you for reading Dark Black CH 2 . I'm having so much fun writing this. Sorry some of the parts are really corny, but this is really going to be a light hearted story, with some drama, more than just a dark story. I know we're barely into the second chapter and already there's a lot of backstory to be established, please bear with me, I will do my best to make sure everything is written and established well. Also, I apologize for some of my dialogue. English is not my first language! haha

Up next: **Review Responses**

 **Beepx22 – "Unique and well written. Good Job."**

Thank you so so so much! I really hope you enjoy it. I love Dragon Ball universe and it brings me so much joy to be able to bring this story which has been in my head since 2016 finally to life!

 **V4Vellian - "** **I can understand you rushing this story a bit, that's fine. I'm willing to continue reading. However, the only problem I have in this chapter is that King Vegeta was one to plead for mercy. Being the elite Saiyan King he is, I doubt his pride would allow him to resort to begging for mercy in front of other Saiyans, those who used to look up to him.**

 **I don't know what you plan on doing with Vegeta, but don't try to make his character too Goku like. He still is a Saiyan and as a child (assuming he didn't bump his head) they are naturally rambunctious. With Gohan's influence, he will be softer in Saiyan standards, but I don't expect a total Goku persona coming from him.**

 **I'm also wondering if you do plan on showing how Saiyans live (even for just a little bit) while they're under the rule of Bardock.** "

Yes, I really should have taken more time to flesh out chapter 1 but I had serious writer's block so I just wanted to get it out of the way so I could publish the next chapters which were better defined and fleshed out, in my opinion. As for King Vegeta, you're right, I might have made him too much of a coward, I just based that on the other 'powerful' saiyans like Raditz and Nappa and even Vegeta that begged for their life when faced with death. The way King Vegeta trembled at Beerus' feet was also my inspiration. Unfortunately I did not have much material on the King so I just took after his son haha but you're right he was not so cowardly, actually.

As for Vegeta, he won't be a Goku clone. But he won't be super evil like in DBZ season1 either, he will be as you said, struggling with a fiery temper and thrill to fight, trying to balance that with the calming lessons of Gohan and Roshi.

Yes! So when I wrote the first chapter of this story, I had planned it to focus on Vegeta, then Trunks, but the more I write, the more it feels like it will encompass lots of characters with different character arcs, not just Vegeta's. I will do my best to keep that from being too clustered though.

Thank you all again for your encouragement! See you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

The clear blue waters roared as they slapped against the wet beach sand. Even from the small bathhouse, Vegeta could hear the soothing sound. Sometimes on a stressful day, all he needed to do was close his eyes and listen to the waves drape over the beach. It was so therapeutic.

Maybe that's why his grandfather had decided to move down from the tall mountain to live at the beach. The old man was always making sacrifices for him, and though Vegeta was not very good at expressing it, he really was grateful to have such a nourishing father figure.

It made the thought of losing him hurt even more. Vegeta knew that Gohan wasn't his real grandfather. He had never even met his own real father. In fact, Vegeta had never even met anyone like him; a human boy with abnormally spiked hair that always grew back the same way, superhuman strength, a body that seemed indestructible, and a thick, long tail that protruded from his lower spine.

Still, Gohan had never treated him any different than if he were a 'normal' boy. And that never made Gohan any less of a grandfather to Vegeta.

He splashed cold water over his head, still full of thoughts. The last visit to the doctors in West City still rang in his head. His grandfather had contracted a rare, incurable heart virus that was slowly killing him, sapping most of his energy. Still, the old man refused to go down without a fight, even continuing Vegeta's schooling and his training up until now.

But the strain was becoming more and more visible. Vegeta dried himself off and walked out to the delicious odor of the large meal that Gohan had prepared. Stomach growling, he hurried to sit under the large tree where they always ate.

Even as he ate, Vegeta could feel the electricity in the air between the two of them, from all that was left unsaid. He also noticed that his usually frugal grandfather had gone all out today, cooking all of Vegeta's favorite dishes. Even though he gulped down plate after plate, the food seemed oddly unsatisfying today.

His normally talkative and attentive grandfather just seemed tired and distant today, and seeing him like that gave Vegeta an unnerving chill. Their eyes met and his grandfather gave him a rueful smile.

"I remember the day I found you," he said. "You were all alone, crying and starving in that strange pod in the middle of nowhere."

Vegeta looked up at him, unable to take another bite.

Gohan smiled, looking at something far and unseen.

"I found it peculiar how you never once caught a fever, or how you could eat ten times the serving of a grown man. I remember the time when the typhoon brought the house down on us and you picked it up with your own hands. Vegeta. You have always been special, and you will always hold a special place in my heart."

Vegeta gulped against the lump in his throat, becoming irritated at his weak emotions.

"One day," his grandfather continued. "When you were eight years old and you saw other children your age for the first time, you asked me what you were. I couldn't give you a clear answer then but now… Well… This might begin to answer some questions."

Gohan pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Vegeta.

Vegeta suspiciously took the small white cloth and unraveled it, producing a polished medallion with his name on it.

"Your name is the only word I could understand," Gohan said. "It isn't much, but it's a first step to finding out who you are. When you do, you will understand your destiny."

"You think this means something to me? I already know who I am," Vegeta said. "I'm your son."

Gohan beamed proudly at the boy.

He opened his mouth to respond when he suddenly froze. Grasping for his chest, Gohan fell away from the table, squirming in pain.

"Grandpa!" Vegeta caught his grandfather, who wheezed with pain. "Oh no!"

Vegeta lifted his grandfather up and took him inside the house and laid him out on his bed.

"Grandpa," Vegeta begged, holding his grandfather's hand.

"Grandpa!"

The old man coughed violently as Vegeta stared in panic.

Gradually the pain subsided and Gohan leaned his head back against his pillows, exhausted.

"Vegeta," his grandfather said, weakly. "My time is here. It's time for me to join our ancestors in the Otherworld."

"No," Vegeta shook his head in frustration. "You can't give up like that! You have to live, Grandpa! You can't just leave me!"

"I… will never leave you… son." Gohan coughed. He lifted his hand and pointed weakly at a dark blue box sitting on his desk. Vegeta picked it up and brought it to his grandfather's side. Gohan opened it, revealing an orange orb with four red stars. "When I am gone, take this Dragon Ball in your hand and go to an island east of Gengoro Island. There you will meet my master, Roshi. He will continue to protect this dragon ball. He will complete your training."

"Why? What's so important about this dragon ball?" Vegeta asked. Here his grandfather was dying in his arms and he wanted to spend his last moments talking about over-sized jewelry.

"The secret of the Dragon Balls is a burden I would never put on you, son. Please..."

His grandfather opened his eyes, full of tears. "Remember your training, Vegeta. And remember… me..."

Eyes still on his son, Son Gohan took a last long breath and expired.

Vegeta kneeled at his grandfather's bedside, not able to grasp or believe that his grandfather had finally died. His hands closed around his grandfather's, as if by sheer will he could bring him back to life. But this was the day Gohan had been preparing him for since his diagnose. Now he had entrusted Vegeta with a mission, to go find this Roshi and deliver the mysterious Dragon Ball.

His head spun and tears swelled in his eyes, spilling over his cheeks. He dropped the Dragon Ball to the side and held onto his grandfather, trembling and convulsing with raw emotions. Only the animals heard his primal, sorrowed screams.

* * *

Far in the distance, a bright white streak pierced the morning sky. A stark white hovercraft burst from the clouds, coursing down towards the mountainous island below. The pilot slowed down as the craft hovered over the water.

Bulma Briefs loved the ocean. Ever since she was a little girl, she loved going with her father, the famous scientist Dr Briefs on his presentations at cruise ships and beaches. There was no better feeling in the world for Bulma than to put on a cute bikini and sip on a cocktail on the beach, watching the sunset. The only thing that would make those summer sunsets better would be to have the perfect boyfriend at her side.

True, she never failed to have a horde of men staring at her or flocking around her, but Bulma knew all too well that most of the time they were just after her money. At just sixteen, she must have already broken up at least a dozen times.

"Jerks," she said to herself as she piloted her hovercraft to land in a small clearing in the middle of the forest. With the Dragon Balls, she would be able to wish for the perfect boyfriend, a loyal, handsome, loving boyfriend that would stick with her for more than just her good looks or money.

The engines whined as the craft touched down on the grass. It was oddly quiet here, Bulma noticed. The few animals that were in sight ran away and sought shelter among the trees. "They must not have much air traffic up here," she shrugged. She climbed over the side of the hovercraft and slung her backpack over her shoulders, stretching her muscles for a moment.

She thumbed the power switch on the Dragon Radar and it beeped wildly.

"There you are!" She cried triumphantly. The Dragon Balls in her bag glowed and hummed as they always did when brought near another Ball. She had only started collecting the wish-granting orbs just a week ago and already she had found three. At this rate, she would have her perfect boyfriend by this time next week. She giggled and leaped for joy at the thought, wondering what that boy would look like.

A loud roar shook the ground behind her, bringing her out of her thoughts. Frightened and wide-eyed, Bulma slowly turned towards the sound of the roar. A giant two-legged dinosaur stared down at her hungrily.

"Oh," Bulma said to herself, trembling. "So that's why all the animals were running..."

The dinosaur roared again and dashed towards her. Bulma shrieked and ran as fast as she could into the forest. _I knew I should have landed at the beach!_ _And not up here in this creepy jungle. Why do these bad things always happen to meeee!_ She cursed at herself.

Just ahead, the forest trees started to hang low and were packed together. That would definitely make it hard for the monster to follow her in. Turning sharply, Bulma ran as fast as she could. The monster behind her gave off a frustrated roar as it crashed and tangled with the low trees. Slowly, the roars and the beast's stomps faded, and Bulma dared herself to look back.

Far from her, the dinosaur fought, tangled by thick trees and vines.

"Ha-ha!" Bulma laughed, sticking out her middle finger at the beast. "That's what you get!"

When Bulma turned back around she only saw the boy with spiky hair and purple robes as she smashed headfirst into him. The last thing that she was able to remember before blacking out was tumbling away hard over the side of the cliff and falling fast as the green treetops below suddenly rushed up at her like a large emerald wave.

* * *

Vegeta held the last polished stone to his forehead, his head full of sad thoughts and memories. Tears fell softly on the stone as he set it down, finishing the grave he had made for his grandfather. Today the world had lost a truly great man. Martial arts had lost a legendary master. A boy had lost his father. Taking a step back, Vegeta bowed reverently at the grave. The shiny medallion that Gohan had given him now hung from a silver chain around his neck, glistening in the sun.

"I will never forget you, grandpa."

Vegeta had been so lost in thought that he did not even see the girl that emerged from the forest and ran head first into him. The blow must have been like running into a brick wall, because it sent the girl spinning and tumbling over the edge of the cliff. Vegeta only had a split-second to realize what had just happened. They were near the top of Mount Paozu. There was no way the girl could survive a fall from this height. The only one that could survive was him.

"Damn it!" Vegeta cursed, dashing over the side of the cliff. Without a second thought, Vegeta dove after her.

* * *

 **AN:**

Thank you all, readers and fellow writers, especially those that leave feedback and reviews. Thank you for reaching the end of chapter three. As you might start to see, things happen in a very different order than in the original story. Unlike Goku, who didn't really understand that his grandfather had died (seemed to think the DB was his grandpa!) Vegeta actually gets to experience this loss. It wasn't an easy chapter to write because it is wrought with emotion, but I feel it will help Vegeta's arc. I actually cut out 2/3rds of Bulma's part, because it's so light that it felt like it ruined the tone of the chapter. So I decided to end it there and save most of Bulma and Vegeta's first encounter for the next chapter, which will be posted here very soon. I hope you all liked this chapter and will stick around for Chapter 4!

Until next time!  
Up next: **Review Responses**

 **Guest** **\- chapter 2 . Jul 19  
** " **This should be in db super not dbz."**

Hello, Guest! Welcome to ! Thank you for taking the time to read my fanfic. To answer your review, I actually considered publishing under the DBS section, mainly because only a handful of characters we meet in Super make an appearance here. The reason I published under the DBZ section is because although the story will cover from DB, DBZ and DBS, the bulk of the story will be centered around the events that occurred in DBZ (ie. Saiyan Invasion, Namek, Androids, etc). Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you will stick around. If you decide to join the site and publish a Dragon Ball story, please let me know so I can read it. Thanks again!

 **WatermelonShark -** **chapter 2 . Jul 19  
** " **So, I'm surprised. Caulifla and Kale weren't exactly the characters I'd expect to pop up here. Vegeta seems like he'll be interesting, since I smell a more flawed version of Goku (more like a less evil version of Cell Saga Vegeta, to be honest) in the future. I'm curious to see how Kakarot plays into everything. Any plans for Tarble and Cabba?"**

Hi! Thank you so much for your review! I really enjoyed reading it. On the inclusion of Caulifla and Kale, their role will be much more prominent and necessary to the story in later chapters. There are about 4 or 5 DBS characters that I incorporated into the story while it's in its "DB/DBZ" phase, but shouldn't be more than that. They're just characters that I found interesting and wanted to use them earlier than when they appear in the show. I would name the others for you, but I feel like that would spoil what's to come! ;)

As for Vegeta, 'flawed' is definitely a good word to describe him in this story. At least, that might be the way some people see him, including himself. He will have a long struggle and as I mentioned in the _**Response**_ section last chapter, I don't ever intend on him becoming this super joyful Goku clone. He will have to struggle against his saiyan blood and his own impulsive, violent personality to find peace and balance throughout most of this story, which leaves plenty of room for character growth, in my opinion. The goal is to get him to the point that he is in at the end of Super, meaning, loyal to his family but still dedicated to reaching past his and Goku's limits.

As for Goku, all I can say is that it's so much fun writing about him in the early drafts. He did not bump his head, of course, so now he will have all of that untapped Saiyan potential available from the start. But just like Vegeta in the original story, there will be more to Goku's story arc further along the line.

Unfortunately at this time, neither Tarble nor Cappa make an appearance, at least not for the first two-thirds of the story. Like I mentioned, as far as DBS characters outside of the DBS timeline, I'm only using about 4 or 5 of them. Maybe once we venture into DBS territory, we might be able to use them. We'll see.

Thank you so much for your review! Please stick around for the next chapter! See you then!

 **AsokaBaadshah - chapter 2 . Jul 20  
"Very well written and entertaining first two chapters! I look forward to reading where you go with this story."**

Hi Asoka! Thank you sooo so much! Awesome review. I'm so glad you liked the story so far. I'm not very experienced writing anime-based fanfics so I was definitely nervous about it at first. But with awesome supporters like you, I feel inspired to keep on writing! If you have any stories you would like for me to read/review as well, let me know! Thank you so much for the support. I hoped you enjoy chapter 3. Chapter 4 will be up very soon!


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